Just Kiss Her Already
by Hidden Relevance
Summary: A series of Jess/Becker oneshots, some in response to the LJ challenge, and some when the muse demands. Variety of styles, genre, and mood. Ratings will be marked in individual chapters.
1. Not Anybody's Damned Wench

Hey all! I know I've been absolutely horrible about updating all of my current in progress fics, but here's some tasty Jess/Becker oneshots ala Primeval to make up for it.. I hope?

These are all for the "Just Kiss Her Already" Challenge going on at LiveJournal. Most are just a T rating for cursing, but there is one M rated fic which will be marked accordingly.

As always, I own absolutely nothing belonging to the creators of Primeval; I'm just borrowing their muses for a while!

_Request: Jess and Becker go through an anomaly and end up in Camelot (BBC's Merlin)..._

As long as it ends up with Jess/Becker kissing I will be happy! Maybe the knights (mainly Gwaine!hehe) hit on Jess making Becker so incredibly jealous that he just has to kiss her already!

(Somehow this ended up more the movie King Arthur with all the smexy of Clive Owen, Mads Mikkelsen, etc. than in BBC's Merlin. Sorry? I guess I'm just more used to writing this version!)

**Not Anybody's Damned Wench**

Jess hates to admit it, but she's utterly out of her depth. For one thing, the men here are anything but the chivalrous knights of medieval literature. They're dirty, smelly, horribly crude, and not to mention every bloody one of them towers over her. She's fairly certain the looming is on purpose too, if only as an excuse to try to look down the pathetic excuse for a bodice on the dress the red-haired barmaid has given her. They're not even particularly subtle about it!

She forces herself to ignore the leers as she lugs about heavy tankards of ale (since when is the ARC's Field Coordinator reduced to this?), but she will _not_ be able to ignore the roaming hands much longer. If that Lancelot pulls her into his lap even one more time, she's likely to break a flagon over his head if he's not careful. She doesn't even really care what would happen after that. She just knows she wants the hell out of here: out of this damned tavern, away from this damned fort and the looming wall, and and-

She forces herself away from painful thoughts of where'd she'd rather be before she does something mental, like say screaming at the top of her lungs that she's from the future and all of these warrior wankers can piss off because they are long dead, god damn it!

A sudden scuffle out in the courtyard catches her attention as well as that of everyone else in the tavern. A man is yelling out curses, and almost as one, the drunken boys around her stand and suddenly become the protective knightly men she'd expected them to be, deliberately placing themselves between the unarmed women and whatever threat had appeared. She feels a moment of gratitude toward the men she's so recently loathed, but the new arrival yells out again, and the voice is one she knows better than her own.

"Becker!"

His name forces itself past her lips, and she hurtles herself forward between the knights, dodging their grasping hands without a thought. His voice becomes more frantic, and she pushes past a final spectator in time to see him throw off the grasp of Arthur's silent scout. Then he's running, as well, and she can hardly believe the sight of him, alive and well and thank all the gods, _clean! _

It's possibly the last that utterly destroys any sense of composure she might have left, and as she reaches him, she all but throws herself into his arms. He catches her and pulls her tight to his chest, and then she's lifting her face to his for a kiss that ought to have surprised them both, but somehow is nothing more than relished and expected and oh so very necessary.

It's only the digging of his EMD into her ribs and the sudden whistle she just knows is from Gawain that manages to remind them of just where they are and just what kind of scene they're making with the very public display of relieved affection and Becker's decidedly out of era attire. Becker pulls back and sets her gently back on the ground with a grin that's only slightly sheepish.

"The anomaly's open. Let's get you home."

Jess nods, her grin threatening to split her cheeks. Becket turns back the way he's come, EMD up and ready as if to threaten the massive knights before him. As if they even bloody know what the hell an EMD is. There's no threat needed though, only a strident scolding from the buxom redhead whose name Jess still cannot remember. The woman cuffs one and then another of them on the arm and then stands glaring with her hands on her hips until the clearly amused and slightly cowed knights move from Becker and Jess's path.

Then the older woman gives them a smile and waves them on, and the long from home pair are quick to make their escape. As they exit the fortress and make their way toward the anomaly at a run, Jess can only think of his hand in her's… and the possibility of a bar of chocolate in the very near future... and Becker… and a _shower! _… and Becker… and clean clothes and new shoes… and Becker.


	2. Touchstone

_Request: What if the episode with Ethan's bomb had ended differently? They kissed. Composure shattered, Becker refuses to let Jess go when the bomb squad finally arrived._

Warning: Vague spoilers for Episode 4.6! Rated T again.**  
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**Touchstone**

Anyone who'd ever been active duty military, especially anyone active duty and deployed in a war zone, learned very quickly that a near death experience has a variety of effects on a person, both mentally and physically.

There was the adrenaline rush, for one. Becker had gotten used to his breath coming fast and shallow and his entire body trembling sometimes for hours. It might be imperceptible to some, but he knew when his own hands were shaking. Usually he could keep it hidden until he had time to decompress alone somewhere after the furor died down. He tended to be overprotective as hell in this phase too; if one of his men were injured, he'd be prowling the medical facilities fully armed and ready to shoot anyone who threatened the now helpless soldier under his command. It was just instinct: protect the men who protected your back, especially when they were in no state to do it themselves.

Occasionally the adrenaline overload manifested itself in…ahem… other ways. There was a reason most soldiers kept condoms on them, even on the front lines. Becker was just a prone to the "find someone to fuck to prove you're still breathing" reaction as any other soldier; he just liked to think he was better at controlling that reaction. Usually. It really didn't do to have the men under his command see him give in to that on a regular basis, so, well, he just didn't give in.

So, yes, he was used to this sort of thing. He just wasn't used to having to deal with Jess dealing with this sort of thing. When she'd lunged in for a hug after brilliantly disarming the bloody bomb, Becker had returned to embrace on instinct, needing that physical connection as much as she did.

"You are truly brilliant!"

"I was! I am!" Her grin was infectious, and Becker couldn't help grinning back in sheer relief that they both were alive and well. That might have been a mistake, he realized in retrospect; it was hard to keep his teammate at arms length when they shared a smile like that. He could see the exact moment when sheer relief shifted to something else in her eyes. Then she moved, or perhaps he did. Regardless of who started it, the next thing he knew, his mouth was on her's, needy and hungry. He swallowed her faint sound of surprise at the sudden onslaught, and a voice in the back of his mind tried to pull him back, tried to tell him to rein himself in, that he needed to keep himself under control. He didn't though, at least not until the backup Jess had called crashed in all around them.

He managed to pull himself away from her for all of a moment as he barked orders to his men, but then he reached more her again, gathering her back to his side, and wrapping his arms around her. He wanted, needed, her within reach, close enough that he could hope keep her safe if one of the men triggered another of Ethan's gifts. He kept her that close while the room was cleared of any other devices, and then another man entered and approached the pair.

"Is she hurt? Let me look, now," the man, a medic, said, and then he made the mistake of reaching for the woman in Becker's arms.

"Don't touch her!" Becker nearly faltered at the panicked and possessive sound of his own voice in his ears, but it wasn't like he could take back the words. The medic took a shaky step backs, hands up in the universal sign for 'I swear I'm not threatening so please don't hurt me.' Jess was still shaking like mad in his arms. Wasn't she? He risked a bewildered glance down to see her eyes were wide but clear as she stared up at him, and her hand was steady as a rock as it came up to touch his cheek.

"I'm alright, Becker," she said, flattening her palm out to cup his face. Her voice was soft, a tone Becker was shamed to realize he recognized as one someone might use to soothe a skittish animal. "Really, I'm alright. We did it."

Mortified that the others in the room, that she herself, was seeing him crumble, he jerked away from her hand as if stung. He tried to put distance between them, but his traitorous body had other plans, and once again, his hand reached out as if on its own to grab a hold of Jess, clinging to her like a lifeline.

"Sir." The voice was one Becker knew, one he trusted almost as much as the team, as much as the woman who was once again wrapping her arms around him, centering him in the midst of his near hysteria. Michaels, one of the few soldiers Becker had specifically requested for the ARC, stood at parade rest at the medic's shoulder, his eyes focused on his former CO's shaking form. Becker swallowed, but didn't bother trying to hiding his reaction from the man. They'd survived two tours in Afghanistan together: secrets rarely survived on the front line. "Sir," the soldier said again, yanking Becker out of his reverie, "perhaps you should escort Ms. Parker out of here. There might still be other traps left behind, and she's not cleared for field duty."

Part of Becker was laughing hysterically that his Jessica, who'd just dismantled a bloody bomb with very little help from him, wasn't considered cleared for field duty, but the last shred of his mind that was still clear recognized the escape route Michaels was offering him. He didn't risk speaking again, too aware of how raw his emotions might make his voice. Instead he just nodded gratefully to his former 2IC and then forced himself to nod to the medic as well. The medic didn't look nearly as convinced as the soldier that the pair could just stroll on out of the building, but Jess gave a sharp shake of her head and a glare that nearly rivaled Abby's, stalling any objection before the medic could even say anything. Then Jess was walking out of the room, her hand softly tugging Becker's unresisting form behind her.

It wasn't in him to care where she led him, just as long as it was somewhere away, and as long as she allowed him to stay with her.


	3. Beating the Odds

_Request: I'm a sucker for the gang placing bets on who will make a move first/pushing them along on their way to each other, so... maybe a bit of both? :)_

No real warnings for this one, so T rating again!_  
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**Beating the Odds**

Jess knew about the office pool as soon as the first bet was made. Really, she wondered how completely thick the others thought she must be anyway. She knew/heard damned near everything that went on the ARC thanks to monitoring the various surveillance systems on top of her role at the ADD; it was her job after all. So why exactly Becker's soldiers thought she'd be unaware of the fact that they were placing bets on whether or not their commander would ever actually ask her out was just beyond her.

She was more than a little insulted frankly. Bad enough they thought her oblivious, but they were placing bets. On her bloody private life! She worked herself up into quite a tizzy, but luckily Becker had talked her down to some semblance of sanity before she'd stalked off to confront the idiots.

Yes, he knew about it, as well. It was fairly normal, he'd told her. Soldiers tended to bet on just about anything: the weather, traffic, what era the latest creature would come from, how many new recruits would be injured by an accidental EMD shot during training. They really would bet on anything. It was just one of few pastimes they could take part of in their downtime between missions, and better yet, one of the few that didn't require carrying anything on their person besides cash. So really, he'd expected something of the sort. Becker was practically blasé about the whole thing.

Jess was less so, but there hadn't been much she could do about it. She supposed she might have been able to ignore it if the pool had been restricted to just the ARC soldiers. But, of course, it didn't.

Soon she was dodging giggling and/or commiserating looks from various scientists and technicians, and next the ladies in the canteen were gossiping behind their hands every time she entered the room, and then the medics were sneaking condoms into Becker's locker whenever they thought he wasn't looking, and… It was humiliating. Really. Hell even Lester had made a vague, cutting reference to Becker's apparent lack of progress in a meeting.

And dear god, then the team found out. Reactions amongst her closest friends had been all across the board. Connor had immediately placed a bet of his own, Matt looked faintly disappointed in Becker, Emily was frankly aghast, and Abby looked about to explode with hysterical giggles.

It wasn't that funny. Really, it wasn't.

Worst of all in Jess's opinion was that now of course it was almost im-bloody-possible to find even a single moment alone with Becker. Ever. Any time the handsome head of security even looked like he might be considering a private conversation with his Field Coordinator, half a dozen spectators would suddenly appear to do something 'vital' in the nearby area all in hopes of catching Becker in the act and ending the pool once and for all. Frankly, the whole situation was near to pushing Jess to the brink of her not inconsiderable patience.

The only thing that kept her in relatively good humor was she and Becker's own very, very private bet on just how long it would take the ARC at large to figure out that they'd actually been together for months.


	4. Something Women Like About a Pickup Man

_Request: Having noticed that two major moments for these two have happened in cars (the stake out and the 'I hate you'/'No, you don't' scenes), I think there needs to be a proper snogging session in the backseat of that SUV._

_I'm talking steamed up windows and hands EVERYWHERE. :D_

WARNING! This is an M rated ficlet kiddies. Blame seren.. she made me do it! BTW, the title is borrowed from the county song, so no I don't own that either.

**Something Women Like About a Pickup Man**

Jess wasn't sure what it was about Becker's 4x4 that intrigued her so. Maybe it was the sleek lines of it, all black and chrome and intimidating, not unlike its driver, come to think of it. Or possibly the fact that underneath all that vehicular intimidation, it was actually quite comfy inside, all plush and cuddly, and again, not unlike her favorite soldier. Really, she might as well just admit it: her fascination with the 4x4 was undeniably tied to her fascination with Becker.

Still, even when he wasn't actually in it, she found herself thinking it was rather, well, _sexy. _

Not that she'd come even close to admitting that. At least not anywhere but to a very few on her online friends. They weren't anyone she knew in person after all; she could stand with a little ridicule as long as she didn't have to actually hear the laughter out loud. And laugh, they did. One American friend in particular had "ZOMGLHAO" and then proceeded to send over a link to a song by someone Jess had never heard of.

After listening, albeit less than enthusiastically, Jess came to the conclusion that she was not a fan of country music in general, but the singer had be right: there was, in fact, something women liked about a "pickup man." At least, Jess certainly did.

She was fairly sure Becker was aware of that. Or, somewhat sure. She thought the fact that she tended to kiss him thoroughly immediately upon getting in the passenger seat on their drive home every night might have given him a clue, but she was beginning to fear that he'd only chalked it up to her having to force herself _not _to pounce on him during the day while they were attempting to be responsible and work. And while, yes, that was certainly part of her motivation, it was not in fact the only reason.

But she wasn't really sure how to go about mentioning that fact. Jess and Becker hadn't actually been Jess-and-Becker for all that long, no matter what the office gossips seemed to think, and she was still more than a little shy when it came to asking him for anything out of the ordinary.

Oh well, she supposed she'd simply have to continue with the post-workday snogging in the parking garage until he figured it out. It was not exactly a hardship, in any case, and eventually he'd give her a proper opening so that she might start that conversation.

He did so a bit sooner than she'd expected. They'd left the ARC late that night, which sadly was the usual for them, though at least it usually meant there was no one else around by the time they left. She'd pounced on him, per her usual, and had been pulling out all the stops, up to and including nibbling and sucking on the particularly sensitive spot she'd discovered on his throat just beneath the edge of his jaw line, when Becker groaned and cursed in her ear.

"Bloody hell, Jessica. Just wait until I get you home." There it was, she thought – there was the exact opening she'd been waiting for.

She pulled away from him abruptly, and he blinked and stared at her with a rather put-upon look on his face. She ignored the puppy dog eyes, and took a breath to gather her courage.

"Do we have to? Wait 'til you get me home, I mean?" she asked, hesitantly.

"What, here?" His brow furrowed in that way that was usually endearing. She shrugged.

"I don't mind the 4x4," she continued, praying he'd get the bloody hint already. He only blinked again and raised an eyebrow. She huffed; apparently she really would have to spell it out for him. "I'm actually rather… fond of the 4x4."

Jess saw the exact moment when his eyes widened and comprehension finally dawned. She let out a relieved breath and began to grin hopefully. The grin vanished when Becker turned away and deliberately put the 4x4 into gear and backed out of his parking spot. She forced herself not to sink down in her seat in embarrassment; clearly this had not been one of her better ideas. She was looking out the passenger window, determined to look anywhere but toward Becker, when she realized something rather strange.

Was he driving deeper into the garage? What the-

Becker turned down one last ramp to the lowest basement level and then whipped the vehicle into the single smallest parking spot in the entire garage, one that rarely went filled as it was cramped so tightly in between a pair of extremely inconveniently designed support columns that one could not be in anything larger than a Mini Cooper and have even the slightest hope of actually opening the car doors.

Becker's 2IC, Michaels, had occasionally parked his motorcycle there, up until an unfortunate incident with a juvenile Terror Bird who'd decided the bike was its new favorite toy. It had taken some time to figure out exactly what had happened to the battered vehicle as the columns made the parking spot practically impossible to see on the surveillance cameras. Wait, practically impossible to…

"Oh." It was all she had time to say before Becker switched off the engine and reached over to pull her out of her seat and all but toss her over the console and into the backseat. She barely had time to squeak at the abrupt change of venue before he levered himself out of the drivers seat and joined her. Then she didn't have time for anything but a low moan of his name as his hands and mouth went immediately to work, lips latched on to the same spot Jess had been so focused on earlier, and fingers pulling one leg across his lap and then skimming from one sky high heel up her ankle and calf and thigh to find the edge of her skirt, pulling that up too until he reached her knickers. Once there, his fingers didn't just skim: they bloody well gripped and dipped and plunged and flicked and stroked and did every damned thing they possible could to drive her absolutely out of her head.

Considering the onslaught, she was more shocked than really surprised that she came as quickly as she did. Her eyes rolled back and a long helpless moan escaped her as she bucked and quivered under Becker's very skillful ministrations. She managed to open her eyes again to find he'd undone the buttons on her shirt and, in the time it'd taken her to remember how to breathe, he'd busied himself with tugging down her bra and feasting happily on every inch of flesh he'd revealed.

She was perfectly willing to allow him to continue that particular activity, too, though something was just slightly missing. She forced herself to unlatch her fingers from the death grip she'd apparently taken of his hair and reached to fumble with his belt and trousers, her normally clever hands seeming almost clumsy as she 'accidentally' brushed and stroked the bulge beneath the zipper causing him to curse again, this time into her breast.

With that to encourage her, Jess managed to finally pull him free of his trousers, taking the full length of him into her hand for a long firm stroke that had him humming his approval. That done, she fumbled again, this time for the one of his pockets she'd discovered he always kept a condom in. It was a little difficult to reach it and properly unwrap it, what with him distracting her and all with his mouth and muscles and his hands being all busy again, but she managed it eventually and then slipped it on him. Once Jess'd done so, Becker finally abandoned her breasts long enough to pull her across to straddle him. Hands tight on her hips, he lifted her up just enough that she could slide down onto him, and they both groaned aloud as he filled her.

"So bloody tight. God, Jessica…" Then they both began to move, rocking hard and fast and frantic, the 4x4 likely rocking around them as well, not that either were in a position to notice or even care. Their cramped position and the clothes they both still wore caused a delicious friction, and Jess felt a certain guilty thrill at the fact that he'd needed her enough to take her just like this with nary a care for propriety. She'd done that; she, Jess Parker, had wound the oh so stoic and controlled Captain Hilary Becker up so high that he was actually fucking her in the backseat of his 4x4 at midnight in the parking garage.

That delightfully smug thought was quite possibly what managed to send her up and over the edge again, his name and his mouth on her lips as she came. He tumbled after, and in the sweaty, sticky moments after, while they couldn't manage anything but a giddy breathless laugh, Jess decided that they would definitely have to do this again sometime. Sometime soon, preferably.


	5. HaagenDaaz

****So this one wasn't technically part of the drabble tag, but it did result out of some comments following the drabble tag. I figured I might as well post it here too lol.

Rated T

**Haagen-Daaz**

"Cold!" Something frigid dripped onto his neckline, and Becker hissed and jerked sideways on the couch, then looked up to glare at whoever had caused the sudden onslaught. Jess stood behind the couch looking far too innocent, a spoon sticking out of a bowl in her hand. "What was that for?"

"Whatever was what for?" she asked, eyes wide. "You know, you seem to have a spot of something, just…" she pointed toward the spot on his neck, and he wiped at it absently, almost willing to believe it hadn't been intentional. "There, you've got it."

She turned and wandered back toward her kitchen, and after a suspicious moment of watching her go (it was a lovely view, after all), Becker returned to his previous slouch in front of the telly.

It wasn't too long before he heard just the faintest slip of bare feet creeping across the floor, and he tensed in anticipation. Sure enough out of the corner of his eye, he saw light glint off of what was likely a spoon, and he lunged, grabbing spoon and bowl in one hand and a wildly giggling Field Coordinator in the other. He tossed her onto the cushions, straddling her to hold her down and desperately trying to ignore the wiggling of her escape attempts and the effect on the tightness of his trousers. Becker surveyed his captive for a moment, and then deliberately took a large spoonful of ice cream and dropped it just above the V of her neckline. She squealed, and he grinned. Turn about was fair play after all.

"You know, you seem to have a spot of something, just there." He set the bowl and spoon aside and then leaned over her. "Why say I get that for you, hmm?"


	6. Fancy a Drink?

_Request: Becker gets roped into pretending to be Jess' boyfriend. I'm thinking it's similar to how Claudia Brown first "met" Nick Cutter. _

Just when I thought I'd finished writing for this challenge... here comes another, and I have even one more in the works that looks like it might be longer than all the other drabbles combined... whoops?**  
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**Fancy a Drink?**

"Look, I said I wasn't interested, and I am, in fact, waiting for someone. So sod off already!"

Jess was fast approaching her wits end with the bloody idiot trying to badger his drunken way into her personal space. It was bad enough her supposed mate, Kristine, had up and failed to show for the drinks and a show _she _had been the one to suggest and then harass Jess into agreeing to. But to have put up with this wanker trying to paw at her skirt and leer at her breasts? No bloody thank you. Jess would rather face down a rabid G-rex any day. In fact, where the hell was an anomaly when she needed one, anyway? Or a strapping ARC soldier to come to her rescue? Jess would even settle for the Dracorex as her knight in scaly armor at this point just as long as it meant the arsehole moved the hell away!

"Come now, you're jus'- you jus' playin' hard to get. I knows it, you knows it…" He swayed and this time Jess was almost certain it really was an accident when his hand brushed against her as he tried to keep himself from falling. Almost.

"I said no. Trust me if you do not back off, you will regret it." Jess almost groaned as the words slipped out of her mouth, and the drunk's eyes narrowed. Antagonize the drunk when you're basically backed into a corner with no where to go. Brilliant idea, Jess. Christ, why hadn't she just left already? Yes, the band was one she'd wanted to see, but not this much. And even if Kristine did show over half an hour late, it wasn't like Jess was in any mood to play nice at this point.

The drunk was looking more and more belligerent with each passing second, and Jess took one near-panicked glance around in hopes of meeting the eye of the bouncer or even a random almost sober and relatively chivalrous stranger that might be willing to help her out of this particular spot. Preferably someone at least someone athletic or tall enough to be intimidating, she thought as she scanned, still holding the drunk at arms length as best she could.

Her gaze narrowed in on a man who'd just walked in and now was standing with his back to her; the height and broad shoulders with an otherwise lean body that clearly showed through his thin t-shirt all looking rather promising. Lovely hair too, really. Now if he would just turn…

He turned just enough so his profile was suddenly visible and oh-so-easily recognizable. Jess blinked. Well, strapping ARC soldier it would be after all. She took a brief moment to try to talk herself out of what she was about to do, and to pray to any god who cared to listen that he wasn't there with some other woman. Then she gathered her courage.

"Becker! Where have you been? You're late!" Startled, Becker turned the rest of the way to face her, and she shoved at the drunk who'd taken advantage of her momentary distraction to try to put his hand on her ass again. She stared back at Becker pleadingly, praying his protective instincts would be just as prevalent away from the ARC and out in the "real world." His eyes narrowed as he took in the scene, and then he began to stalk angrily toward them, every step practically screaming his tall, dark, and dangerous identity to anyone paying attention. Unfortunately, the drunk apparently wasn't. Not that he didn't notice Becker's approach, he just didn't seem to care.

"Who's tha pretty boy?" he sneered, plenty loud enough for Becker to hear, and if anything the already pissed off captain became even more livid. Jess wasn't sure if it was just the last bit of her patience or her sanity that gave way at that moment. Whichever it was, as she shoved the bastard one last time, managing to push him into the table and then to the floor, she found herself answering:

"He's my boyfriend, and you'd best back off now!"

The drunk regained his footing far faster than she'd expected, and then lunged at her. He didn't get far, though: before he got within even a foot of Jess, an arm intercepted him. Becker grabbed the wanker by the collar and slammed his face down onto the table. Then Becker let him fall down. Ignoring the sudden silence that had run through the bar after the crash the wanker's head made on impact with the table, Jess stared from the slumped form at her feet and then back up to Becker. She'd certainly know the captain was undeniably bad-ass, but even she hadn't expected him to deal with the problem with so little effort. She looked back down and nudged the drunk with the toe of her purple Victorian bootie. Yes, he was definitely unconscious.

She turned to look back up at Becker, and was surprised to see an almost shamed look on his face as he stared down at the man he'd knocked out so easily. He rubbed a hand across the back of his neck and studiously avoided meeting her eyes, and Jess had a feeling he might try to make his escape at any moment.

Well, that just wouldn't do, she decided. Without a word and without allowing herself to think twice about her decision, she reached up and pulled him down hard for a kiss, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck and clinging just on the off chance that he might try to push her away.

He didn't. He didn't for a very long, very delightful moment. Then the bouncer coughed from beside them, and they snapped apart sheepishly. Becker looked about to explain himself, but the bouncer just gave him a respectful nod.

"Sorry, mate. Got caught across the room and couldn't get over here quite quick enough. Look's like you got it sorted though." With that, he none-too-gently dragged the drunk up to a semi-upright position and then frog marched him to the door and out of the building.

With the show clearly over, the crowd drifted away leaving Jess and Becker alone by the little corner table. This time both of them were studiously avoiding each other's eyes.

"So," Becker said, finally breaking the silence, and Jess looked up at him tentatively. "Not that I mind, exactly, but you really might have bought me a drink first. Don't you think?"

He suddenly smirked at her, and she felt herself begin to smile like a bloody fool.

"I suppose you're right. Well then.. Fancy a drink?"


	7. Just for One Night

So this was yet another one of the prompts over at the Just Kiss Her Already Drabble tag challenge. It ended up MUCH longer than expected, and surprising, is probably barely a T rating if that. And plot? What plot? This is mostly fluff. Worse yet, it's lots of mostly _platonic_ fluff. You have been warned.

_Request: __After the bite, the medics insist Becker doesn't go home alone. Jess gets volunteered because Abby and Connor want some privacy. _

**Just for One Night**

Becker winced with each step he took on his injured leg and wondered if he shouldn't have just given in and taken the crutches like the medic suggested. He hated the things though; he'd had to use them one too many times in the past, and he'd avoid them like the plague if he could manage it. He gritted his teeth and forced himself on down the hallway to the garage exit, pulling his keys from his pocket as he went and hoping he would actually manage to make it to his 4x4 without anyone being the wiser.

The medic had told him he'd need someone to stay with him overnight, just to be sure Becker didn't have any kind of unexpected reaction to the venom. It was ridiculous in Becker's opinion. Really, if he was going to be more ill then he was now, shouldn't it have happened already? Assigning him a babysitter just for the off chance that something _might_ happen was just adding insult to injury at this point.

No, he was going to take himself home. Alone. And there wasn't anything that anyone could bloody do about it.

"Becker! Wait!"

He cringed at the sound of that familiar voice and oh so familiar clatter of hurrying heels that sounded behind him just as he reached the door. He had been so close! He turned slowly, keeping his injured side away from Jess as she approached. Becker knew she would be far more careful after accidentally hitting his leg only a little while earlier, but one could not be too cautious. He watched her take the last few steps toward him, and he wondered at her expression which was flickering from the usual open and almost embarrassed smile to exasperation to worry to- Was that guilt? And back her usual grin again. She came to a stop and hitched her purse up on her shoulder, her breath coming just a little fast after her apparent sprint to reach him before he left.

"There, I didn't think I'd catch you." She glanced up at him and blinked. "Why were you off in such a hurry anyway? Didn't the medic tell you to wait for someone to take you home?"

Becker scowled at the reminder, and turned to push his way through the door. His proper upbringing hit at the last moment, and despite his rapidly declining mood, he held open the door for Jess as she followed him out.

"Thank you," she said brightly, smiling up at him as if he'd done her some great service. He sighed, knowing he'd need to explain his actions if only to assuage his own guilty conscious at trying to escape everyone, including her.

"Look, Jessica, I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself tonight. I don't need anyone looking after me, so I planned to just head home and rest." Jess pursed her lips at his words, and Becker fought back another sigh at her determined and more than a little aggravated expression.

"You may not _want_ anyone looking after you, but the medic was quite adamant that you _need_ one. At least for tonight. Really, Becker, you were bitten by a deadly, venomous, prehistoric dog-lizard-_thing_ today. Don't you think it might be best to follow medical advice considering the extenuating circumstances?"

Becker shifted as his leg began to protest how long he'd been standing, and he started walking toward his 4x4 again for lack of anything else to do, and to avoid telling her just what he thought of any medical professional trying to give advice about the venom from a creature that had existed long before their own species was even up on two legs. The click of her heels told him Jess still followed close behind him, and she spoke again.

"Well, Lester made it an order now. So you're just stuck with company for the evening, and that's final. And anyway, it's just for one night. Even you should be able to stand the company for that long, right?" Becker reached the vehicle and Jess appeared beside him and plucked the keys from his grasp before he could argue. "Don't think you're driving, Captain. You're barely walking as it is." The smile in her voice as she said it almost took the sting out of her words, but then Becker's mind caught up with what she'd implied by taking the keys, and he panicked.

"Wait a minute… You're not, I mean, not that you're not welcome, but really shouldn't someone-" he gave up trying to come up with anything coherent as her expression fell to something that reminded him of a kicked puppy, and instead he just asked, "Matt?"

She looked at the ground. "He left out as soon as the medics said you'd pull through. Seemed in a bit of a hurry, sorry."

"Michaels?" His 2IC would never let him live down a major injury at a school of all places but there were worse alternatives. Like, say, having the attractive field coordinator over the entire night when his emotions were hardly at their most controlled. Unaware of his thoughts, Jess just shook her head.

"Apparently his mum's in town for a holiday." Becker frowned and then asked the very last name on his rather pathetically short list of male friends.

"Connor?" It wouldn't be his best bet, but surely he could survive his bumbling friend for a little while...? No, Jess was shaking her head again.

"He and Abby are in the midst of a row. He's the one who actually volunteered me. He said he needed the private time to try to talk her round." She shrugged in a rather defeated manner, and Becker felt more than a little guilty. "Look, if you're really sure you'll be alright on your own then I can just find a hotel for the night. You won't be bothered by-"

"It's alright," Becker broke in, almost before he knew he'd planned to speak. "You can stay. I just didn't want you to have to go to any trouble. That's all." Jess's smile brightened her face again, and Becker felt an answering one creep across his face despite himself. He was going to have to shoot Connor later.

Becker decided to plot his revenge at another time and just waited for Jess to unlock the 4x4. He let her slide the passenger seat back as far as it would go and then gritted his teeth as he hauled himself in. Damned if he'd admit it, but she'd been right about driving. That would have been absolute agony. He grinned a little at the sight of her in the driver's seat, especially after she scooted the seat forward. Not quite as far forward as he would have guessed though; he'd failed to factor in the extra height she gained from her habitual heels.

"Have you got your prescriptions?" she asked as she carefully backed out of the spot and headed toward the garage exit. "If there's a chemist close to your place, we could drop them off on the way."

She gave a cheery wave to the guard at the exit, and then turned toward his place. She took the first few turns without any sign of hesitation or need for directions, and Becker wondered for a moment if he should be worried that she clearly knew exactly where he lived. Though, he reminded himself, it wasn't like he didn't know the quickest route from the ARC to each of his team members' homes in case of emergency, up to and including Lester's place out in the country. Considering what he'd seen of Jess, she probably knew each of their addresses for much the same reason.

And, he thought to himself sheepishly, _she_ probably hadn't taken the time to drive each possible route just to make sure she knew exactly how long each drive would take. Yeah, that might have been a bit excessive of him. Lester had been damned near apoplectic when Becker had turned in the expense report for that little project. Petrol alone had cost a pretty penny.

"-ecker?" Jess's voice was almost a shout, and he drew his mind back to the present with difficulty. Pain was making his fuzzier than he'd thought; either that or he was feeling unusually safe with his current chauffeur in control. He was a little surprised he hadn't offered any back-seat advice yet. Michaels would have been shocked and amused by this whole mess. He shook his head again, and forced himself to direct his attention at his driver. As if sensing he was back among the coherent, Jess glanced over with a slightly concerned look. "There you are. The prescriptions?"

"Oh, right." He dragged his hand on his face. "Umm, the medic called them in. We just have to pick them up. The chemist's just two streets over from my flat. By the-uh," he struggled for a moment to place the location, "by the Chinese place. Dim Sum, I think."

"Oh I know that place! My old flat mate used to get takeaway from there all the time." She brightened as she made yet another correct turn toward the street he'd indicated. "That sounds delicious actually. Fancy Chinese for dinner?"

He shrugged halfheartedly. He wasn't all that sure he'd be able to eat all that much, but if she was hungry, he couldn't just let her starve. And now that he thought about it, there was next to nothing edible at his place. He'd intended to do his shopping tonight, but that particular plan had gone by the wayside with the help of an unfriendly theracephalian.

Jess glanced at him again in question, and he belatedly nodded.

"Chinese sounds fine, Jess."

"Excellent! You do have the number? We could call that in, too. Save a trip back out." He nodded and pulled his phone from his pocket, wincing a little as the move was a bit more cramped than he'd thought what with the seatbelt and the 4x4 not having quite the leg room he needed at the moment. He scrolled to the number in this phone with practiced ease.

"What would you like then? My treat." He raised an eyebrow and stared her down before she could argue about him paying. There were certain things his mother's son had been raised not do: making a woman pay for a meal they shared was just one of them. Jess almost looked like she might well challenge him about it, but after a moment, she just huffed exasperatedly and answered him.

"Ginger chicken with steamed rice. I think."

He waited a beat to make sure she didn't change her mind and then hit 'Talk.' The familiar lilting voice of Li-Pong, the proprietress picked up, and he placed Jess's order, adding a bowl of soup for himself.

"Oh, and an order of prawn crackers, please," he added. Not that he especially needed to; he'd been placing nearly the same order for soup and prawn crackers almost once a week since he'd moved into his flat. He said his goodbyes and hung up, glancing over to find Jess staring at him while she waited for a red light to change. "What?" he asked, a little confused at the disapproving expression.

"Soup and prawn crackers? Really? That's hardly a meal!" He chuckled at her answer. He was well aware of the fact that it was hardly a meal; in fact, Li-Pong gave him just that lecture every other time he ordered. He supposed she'd been too busy to so do this time.

"It's just… I like soup and prawn crackers, that's all." He shrugged sheepishly. "Don't usually eat much in the evenings, anyway. Not after work all day. Too tired to have much appetite."

"Ugh, I wished I was ever too tired to eat. That is never my problem. Oh no, I get home and go gorging through half of my kitchen before I know it. I can't buy the gallon cartons of ice cream any more: I'll eat the whole bloody thing in one sitting. It's disgusting really…" He smiled softly, surprised to find he was content to just listen as she prattled on, the familiar sound of her voice more soothing than he would have expected.

Soon enough, she was pulling up to Dim Sum and the chemist's and after a firm order for him to stay put, she took his charge card and scampered in to collect his medications and their dinner. He groaned as he realized what the owners of both locations would likely think of a lovely young woman running his errands for him. Both Li-Pong and Peggy Werner at the chemist's were terrible gossips, and both would undoubtedly ambush him for details regarding Jess's identity at the next available opportunity. He supposed it was just something he'd have to deal with. If he'd just ignored both ladies, he'd probably have escaped their meddling. Probably, well, maybe. Both were formidable in their mother-henning. Peggy made house calls around flu season making sure everyone got their vaccinations whether they really wanted to or not, and Li-Pong had apparently been feeding half the neighborhood for years before he ever moved in.

Jess came out the door of the chemist shop and hurried one shop over to Dim Sum. She didn't look once in Becker's direction, but she hadn't been fast enough for him to miss the rather brilliant scarlet flush across her face. Peggy had clearly been in fine form this evening. He wondered idly if it might not work out for the better for him in the long run if the dear ladies thought something was sparking between him and the delightful Jessica Parker. Not that anything was, of course, but if they simply _thought _there was, they might stop throwing random single relatives at him every time he turned around. He'd been lucky thus far as he'd been saved by an anomaly alert for the first three blind dates in a row, but surely that streak couldn't last forever.

As he mused on those odds, Jess came hurrying out of Dim Sum, looking even more flustered than when she'd left the chemist's shop. Well, well, he thought amused, two for two. She struggled with the bags and the door and keys, and he reached across to open the driver's side door for her, hiding a wince as he did. She clambered into the seat awkwardly and then practically shoved the bags of Chinese food and prescriptions at him.

"That took a little longer than I expected," he couldn't help but tease, and he hid a grin as she turned even redder.

"Yes, well, sorry. It just-explaining why I was-they both seemed to want to-Uh!" she huffed. "It just took longer than expected is all."

He refrained from mentioning that she'd offered no explanation at all for the delay. He figured she'd suffered enough under the dear ladies' microscope.

"Almost home," he said instead, and she nodded with a relieved sigh.

"Almost!" She maneuvered the 4x4 for the last short leg of their trip and pulled up in front of his building and into a parking spot in moments. She took the bags back from him and then climbed back out of the 4x4 and up the stairs to unlock the front door before he'd even managed to get his seat belt off. She waited at the door for him, with far more patience than he would have managed, and then after he'd entered, she closed and locked the door behind them.

He mentally groaned at the familiar flight of stairs up to the second floor and his flat, but he kept silent as he dragged his protesting body up one step at a time. Jess stayed a few steps below him as he climbed, presumably to catch him if he suddenly fell backwards; though really, Becker thought, she'd be far more likely to be injured as well if that happened. All too aware that it was becoming more of a possibility by the moment as he grew more tired with each step, he gave up on his pride and clung to the railing, pulling himself up to the top step more with his arms than actually walking.

His flat was at the very end of the hall, of course. Why should anything be easy? At least there were no more stairs and he could lean on the wall if he needed to. And he did, though he hated to admit it. Jess slipped past him, apparently content to let him limp along at his own pace now that the danger of falling down the stairs was behind them. She set the sacks down by the door and unlocked it, then moved inside and held it open until he reached her. She locked that door behind him, and then moved to the kitchen to set down the food, bustling about as if she'd been in his home a million times before.

"You might as well sit down before you fall down. I'll bring your food to you." She hunted through the cupboards for his dishes while he made his way to the massive L-shaped couch in his small living room. "Do you want a bowl or plate, or do you plan to just eat out of the takeaway boxes?"

He debated on telling her to just bring the sack, that she didn't need to trouble herself, but he highly doubted she'd listen.

"That would be nice. Thank you." He sank down on to his couch with a sigh, turning to stretch out sideways and prop his leg up on a couple of pillows and debating on turning on the telly. He'd wait for Jess, he decided.

"What do you want to drink?" God a beer would be wonderful right about now, he thought, but that probably wasn't the best idea with his pain meds.

"Umm, there should be a can or two of ginger ale in the fridge, I think." He heard the fridge door open and was not totally surprised by Jess's sudden muttering about bachelors. He chuckled under his breath; he could tell her it wasn't usually that empty, but who knew if she'd believe him.

She finally carted out the food and drinks and settled them on the coffee table in front of the couch and then sat herself down as well. After a moment of eating, Becker asked if she wanted to watch anything, and at her nod, he turned the telly on. He changed channels absently, finally pausing on some variety show or other. He wasn't really paying attention to the screen anyway. He was too concerned with just how content he was with the whole situation. They weren't exactly talking, but it was a comfortable silence, one neither of them needed to break. It was all just terribly domestic, and it shouldn't have been.

Becker didn't particularly want Jess that comfortable in his home. After all, he didn't want her getting any ideas. Hell, he thought wryly, if he was honest with himself, he didn't really want _him_ getting any ideas. Bit too late for that, don't you think? He took another bite of cracker and wondered just when Danny had hijacked his mental voice. At least it hadn't been Connor. Or worse, Abby. He almost shuddered at the thought. He was likely mad enough without either of the couple Cutter had once referred to as "Sid and Nancy" living in his head.

He and Jess finished eating in the same strangely soothing quiet, and then she stood to clear the dishes away before he could protest.

"I don't mind," she said, forestalling any arguments. "You're hardly up to walking about, are you? And in any case, you paid for dinner. This is the least I can do." She set the dishes in the sink, and then tossed him the bag of prescriptions. "Probably ought to take something. You're starting to get that 'I'm in a rather lot of pain but am too stubborn to say anything about it' look on your face."

He sat up to glare after that description but then just sank back down again and swallowed one of his pain pills sullenly. He so did _not_ have a look. Someone would have told him if he did. Someone beside Michaels, he amended; close friends were not to be trusted when it came to those sorts of subjects.

Jess finished up the dishes with little fuss, only occasionally calling out a comment about the show as she watched over the counter. Then she wandered back in with a refill of both of their drinks and settled back on the couch beside him.

"You know, this couch is absolutely too large to be practical," she said with a sideways grin during the next commercial break. "Just like a man to buy something like this."

"Yes well, you may not have noticed, but this man is considerably taller than you, Jessica," he sniped back, a smirk forming as she sputtered in protest. "I like being able to actually stretch out. Anyway, I wouldn't have been able to prop my leg up on some tiny little sofa would I? Not and still have room for you."

"Why Captain Becker, are you implying that I take up too much space?" she asked primly, a smile now tugging at her lips as well.

"Maybe not too much, exactly," he allowed, and she nodded sharply.

"Didn't think so."

They continued to watch as one show turned into another and another, neither of them really paying too much attention. Becker wondered if he should have been surprised when the feel of a sudden weight on his arm told him Jess had fallen fast asleep against his shoulder. Probably not; she hadn't been in the school with the rest of the team, but her day had still been traumatic enough. A gentle shake with no reaction told him she was out cold, and he sighed as he realized there was no way he'd be able to get her into the guest room. He probably couldn't bear that much weight on his leg, not to mention the meds had finally kicked in and he was feeling more than a little out of it. He'd be more likely to drop her by accident than carry her safely to the other room.

Becker carefully reached around her to grab a couple of pillows and then with a little awkward maneuvering got her shifted enough that he could arrange the pillows between them on the center corner of the sofa and lay her head down on one of them. Once she was settled, he stood up for a quick moment to grab one of the blankets hanging over the back of the couch and lay it softly over his sleeping guest, then switch off the TV and the light. Then he all but fell back to his previous spot and blindly grabbed for the other blanket and pulled it over himself, snuggling down on to one of the other pillows with a yawn. He drifted off to sleep with the smell of Jess's shampoo in his nose and the sound of her soft breaths in his ears.

He slept soundly and without nightmares for the first time in months.

…

The next morning, as luck would have it, he was, in fact, running a fever, much as the medic thought he might. Jess valiantly managed not to say "I told you so," but the medic and Lester weren't nearly so kind. Much to his chagrin, the verdict came down that while he could likely see to himself for the course of the work day, at least one more night of observation would be needed.

He argued and protested, of course, but when Jess showed up after she got off work that evening, he realized he didn't mind too terribly much.

It was just for one more night, after all.


	8. Thou Shall Not Rile the Tech Kitten

_Request: You mentioned tech-kitten Jess, so..._

_Let's have her totally kicking ass and taking names against some 'hacker' trying to do bad things to the ARC. There's nothing anyone can do 'physically' and so it's all up to her. She wins of course and is just flying high on adrenaline. Becker notices and gives her an, ahem, 'outlet' for all that energy._

_Sorry, long prompt is long. I just want kickass!Jess._

This again, was not actually for the Just Kiss Her Already challenge, but it was from the Make Out Meme so I figure close enough.

Probably T for language. Also, just know I am not at ALL a techy, so if the hacking seems to be BS, it probably is. Oh well.

**Thou Shalt Not Rile the Tech-Kitten**

The part of her ego that kept up a lively competition with the other techy on the team could not believe what it was thinking, but really: where the bloody hell was Connor Temple when she needed him?

Oh right, Jess reminded herself angrily, he was trapped behind the late and unlamented Phillip Burton's bloody lock down protocol along with several other people she was really rather fond of, all buddy breathing off the one single solitary can of emergency oxygen that had been stored in the little horticulture lab.

That situation was bad enough, but the fact that some absolute arsehole had the gall to hack into her bloody system to lock her friends in there in the first place? Yeah, that had sent her right over the edge of terrified-and-worried and into the realm of righteous-vengeful-wrath.

And of course, the wanker had disabled Connor's back door command. Really why make it easy?

Her fingers flew across her keyboard as she manipulated text and commands over each one of the screens in front of her. She really deserved a pat on the back later for re-designing the ADD with so many useful features, she thought absently, straining to type even faster as her anonymous nemesis kept just one step ahead of her override procedures.

"Come on, Jess! They're running out of air!" She ignored Matt's irate command as she had the last dozen or so. She could certainly understand his concern considering a very pregnant Emily was one of the others locked in with Connor, but really he was not the only one who might lose someone and the shouting just wasn't helping. Nothing much was, really.

She bit her lip to keep from cursing up a storm. She just needed more bloody hands! That thought led to a rather risky prospect. She kept typing with her right, but grabbed a pen with her left to scribbled down a sequence of numbers and letters, silently blessing the schoolmate who'd dared her to learn to write with both hands.

"Lester, here. Now." She didn't look, but she had a feeling the bureaucrat was giving her a mock glare behind her back. She ignored that too; right now she needed him to be useful. He'd proved himself at least somewhat competent in the past, and he would do so again now or deal with her later. Sure enough, Lester came up beside her and she nodded in the direction of the pad and the auxiliary keyboard. "When I tell you to, I need you to enter that sequence at the prompt. Then just keep typing it as many times as you can. Clear?"

"Crystal."

"Good." She typed in another dozen or so characters in prep, trying to block the bastard from cutting her off at the pass. "Alright, now."

At her command, Lester began typing furiously, finally earning his ridiculous government salary in Jess's opinion. The pair of them pounded the keys for another minute or so without pause, and Jess vaguely realized she was sporting a feral grin. She was gaining on the bastard. Not long now, she prayed.

She threaded through one maze of code after another and then let out a shout of triumph as she finally cracked the command that unlocked the door.

"Oh thank-" Lester began to say as Matt and the other security officers thundered out of the command center to the others.

"Don't stop," Jess ordered tersely. She'd done her job and saved the day, but now it was bloody personal. Lester rejoined her at the console, knowing well enough at least not to argue or interrupt as she continued on her self-appointment mission.

With luck the bastard who'd started this all would still be trying to figure out if she'd released the lock down protocol and wouldn't realize she'd already been freed from that task to hunt him down like the dog he was. She powered through half a dozen firewalls, tracking the signal from one country through the next. He was good, she had to admit, but he had just pushed her to absolutely _need_ to be better. The fucker would not get away with this.

The trail began to trace back toward the U.K. as she'd suspected, and after just another moment… it was right…

"There!" she shouted. She rattled off the address, trusting someone nearby to take note. "I need a full security team to this location on the double. Get the son of a bitch." She tapped in another few commands, hacking the building's security and effectively locking the bastard in as he'd dared to do to her friends. She wished she could leave him out of air and terrified that he might die of asphyxiation, but considering the other people in the building, that just wasn't an option. Pity.

She took a deep breath and let it out slow.

"You can stop now, Lester." She glanced over and gave him a small exhausted smile. "You did well. I might a proper assistant out of you yet."

"In that case, perhaps I should ask your boss for a pay raise." He patted her awkwardly on the back and then moved away. She just stayed where she was, watching for the trapped hacker's attempts to escape the lock down and then countering them almost absently.

Finally, _finally, _the word came over her comm that the team had reached the flat in question, and she lowered the lock down to let them in. Almost immediately, Michaels reported that the subject was now in custody, and they were on their way in, captive in tow. Only then did she allow herself to pull away and climb down from her chair.

He was there, waiting for her. Becker looked beyond exhausted and didn't lean so much as had collapsed against a table while he waited. A medic hovered nearby, but Jess gathered he hadn't dared to argue with the clearly focused soldier.

"Becker." She took the few steps to him and then wrapped her arms around him with a sigh. He wrapped his arms around her just as tight, his head dropping down to rest against hers, for once clearly uncaring as to whether anyone was watching or not.

She'd have gone to him even if he _did _care, frankly. She'd known he was trapped with the others, and she'd been every bit as terrified as Matt for those first few moments. But after hearing one frantic order from Michaels over the comms to his CO to "take a bloody turn to breathe already, damn it!," she'd had to force herself to forget that he was there. She'd needed to do her job without distractions, and Becker in peril was easily the single most awful distraction she could imagine.

So she'd made herself forget. The guilt over that fact suddenly rushed over her, and she shook against him, tears falling without her consent.

"Jessica, my Jessica. So unbelievably brilliant. My lovely, lovely Jess." He just held her even tighter, brushing his lips against her forehead and whispering adoration and comfort by turn. "I knew you'd get us out. I knew you would. Brilliant, just bloody brilliant."

Her tears finally slowed to a stop, and as her shaking eased, Becker brought a hand to her chin and lifted her face to his for a long, slow kiss that soothed out the rest of her fears with ease. They gently broke apart to rest their foreheads against one another.

"You were supposed to report to medical," she whispered softly, not all together surprised he hadn't gone. "You needed to get checked out."

"I needed you more."

She shook her head and then finally smiled fondly. Idiotic soldier stoicism. It would annoy her if she didn't love him so much.

"Well, you're going now. Even if I have to escort you there myself." He stood up from the table he'd been leaning on and wobbled, much to his chagrin.

"I think that might actually be necessary," he admitted.

"Shelly, can you take over on the ADD for me?" The other older tech was staring at Jess with an uncomfortable hero worship on her face, though whether it was due to the Field Coordinator's feat of hacking prowess or the fact that the unapproachable head of security was openly showing affection for said Field Coordinator was anyone's guess.

Jess didn't particularly care. Satisfied that her station would be covered, she let Becker drape his arm around her shoulder and lean on her for support. Then the pair headed out down the hall toward medical, the forgotten medic trailing after.


	9. Talisman

_Request: Jess/Becker "In The Shower"_

Warning: this turned into FAR more of an angstfest than I'd planned, but at least you do get some smut to make up for it. Rated M for sure though!

Also, this is definitely a companion if not a true sequel to "Touchstone."

**Talisman**

Jess checked the team's current location for probably the 20th time in the past minute, impatient for them to finally make it back to the safety of the ARC. The bomb, well, bombs, she reminded herself, had taken the life of yet another one of the military personnel, and as always that death reminded her all too vividly of what she might someday face, loving one of those military men as she did.

The sound of Matt checking in over the comm momentarily distracted her, and she forced herself to focus as he reported his and Danny's position as they continued their chase of Danny's sociopath of a brother. Ethan, or Patrick or whatever the hell the bastard was calling himself, had been busy in the 2 days since he'd reappeared through an anomaly, just barely slipping out of the ARC personnel's grasp. Danny hadn't been so lucky, and being shot once again with an EMD and thus losing track of his brother had left him in a rather less than pleasant mood.

The after effects of Ethan's latest murder via explosive device likely wouldn't lift his spirits any, Jess thought grimly. She glanced again at the readouts on her screen, and let out a relieved sigh when she saw that the team's vehicle had finally made it back to the garage. They were safe and sound, and soon enough, her man would be back at her side.

At the quick pounding of running boots heading to the hub, she spun in her chair hoping to see Becker striding toward her like always. Instead, his 2IC Michaels was on his way to her, his face frozen in a mask of concern. That got her worried: Michaels tended to keep himself even more under control than Becker did when it came to keeping the noncombatants unaware that anything was wrong with the military boys. Clearly that was not the case here, and growing more fearful by the moment when Becker's handsome face didn't appear behind his second's, she stood and waved for one of the other techs to take over for her at the ADD.

"Michaels, what's-"

"I need you to come with me right now." He spun on his heel and strode back the way he came without waiting for her answer, Jess taking off after him at a near sprint, her heels making a dreadful racket as she scurried after the much longer legged soldier. Her mind offered up half a dozen really bad scenarios, but even those were skirting clear of the terror looming in the back of her mind. She'd known when the bomb went off, but he was fine. Michaels had told her he was fine. But, _Becker_ hadn't said so, had he?

She followed Michaels through the maze of halls in the ARC, and finally turned the corner that told Jess they were heading toward the locker rooms. They passed another soldier at the head of the corridor, a young man Jess thought to be called Harley, though in her frazzled state she couldn't be sure. The younger soldier offered both she and Michaels a nod as they passed, and then Jess dazedly noted he turned and stood facing out into the rest of the building. And was he at parade rest? It almost seemed like he was standing guard, but that was just silly, she thought. Why would he guard a hallway? She shook her head at herself, then noticed yet another soldier at the other end of the hall, and her posture was much the same as Harley's. What the bloody hell was going on here?

Michaels reached the door to the locker rooms and came to a stop so fast that Jess, still distracted by the strange picture of the other two soldiers, actually slammed into his back before she could stop herself. He spun and caught her before she could fall, and she had a moment of irritation at the sheer ease of his movements, just as she often did with Becker. His name in her thoughts pushed away her curiosity, with only fear remaining once again.

Michaels took his hands from her arms and straightened looking at the door to the locker room and seeming to search for words. After a moment, he frowned and shook his head and began to speak.

"Becker's inside." She began to move to the door without thought, but he stopped her and continued. "He's in a bad way, Ms. Parker. Not hurt," he hurried to assure her at the look of panic on her face, "but still, it's… it's bad. He was standing right next to Jeffreys when he…"

Jess shuddered, and Michaels took another long breath, steadying himself.

"It's not the first time Becker's seen something like this. On deployment… It was bad, that's all I can say. Right now, he's-he's in shock, and a flashback's near to a certainty if we can't snap him out of it." His blue eyes were haunted, and Jess swallowed at the thought of what the pair of them must have seen overseas. She'd once wondered if it got easier to see the kind of horrors they saw at the ARC; this was a fairly clear answer that it never would.

"What… what do you need me to do?" she asked quietly, conscious of the other soldiers in the hallway who might be listening in.

"He needs you. Needs to be reminded that he's not back there, in that place. I can't do that for him. I'm too tied to his memories of before." He scrubbed a hand across his face and looked anywhere but at Jess. "But you, you're bright and lovely and whole. And he's kept you safe before and you've kept him safe too. He needs that, Ms. Parker."

Jess thought it over, not totally sure she knew what he was asking, but hoping, praying she'd be able to give Becker what he needed. She nodded slowly, and turned to the door. Once more, a hand on her arm stopped her, and she turned to seen Michaels leaning towards her.

"Just a warning, he looks a fright. If you can get him cleaned up, it'll be a step in the right direction. I can get him some clean clothes if you can get him into the showers."

Jess blinked at the myriad implications, but then nodded slowly. She reached the door, but then glanced over her shoulder, worrying her lip with her teeth.

"If he's as bad as you think, I may need some clean clothes as well. Can you ask Abby for me? And give me 10 minutes to actually get him in shower perhaps?" She wouldn't say it out loud, but damned if the entire situation was going to be awkward enough without Michaels possibly walking in on her in next to nothing. Especially as he was clearly aware of the relationship she and Becker had kept to themselves thus far. Michaels offered her one last nod, and then she pushed through the door.

Becker was sitting on one of the benches by the locker with head hanging low and his back to her and the door. That alone told Jess more than a little about his mental state: she long ago noticed that Becker rarely left his back to an exit. Michaels didn't either, for that matter, so she guessed it was likely a military thing. For him to be this exposed, even here in the relative safety of the ARC, was worrying. Taking a deep breath, she turned and typed in her override on the pad next to the door. She couldn't leave it locked what with Michaels bringing clean clothing, but she certainly didn't want to risk Shelly or any of the other techs tuning into the cameras in here. She took a few steps to the bench and around to the end and then stopped short, her hands flying to her mouth to smother a gasp at the sight of him.

No wonder Michaels had warned her: Becker was all but drenched in blood. The stench of it drifted into her nose, and she swallowed back bile as she realized she was likely looking at what little was left of Jeffreys. Blood dripped from Becker's hair and uniform and hands and, bloody hell, it was everywhere, she thought grimly. The only spot on him that was relatively clean was his face, she realized. Someone, likely Michaels, must have tried to wash that for him, but it was likely to have been tough without a massive amount of water. She would definitely need to get him in the shower.

Jess swallowed, and pulled her hands down to her side, forcing herself to breathe through her mouth in an attempt to keep some of the scent out of her nose. Then she took the final few steps to Becker, crouching down in front of him as best she could in heels and skirt. She gingerly rested her finger tips on his knees and tilted her head up, trying to meet the eyes that were gazing blankly at the floor.

"Hil? Love, can you look at me?" she whispered softly, trying to reach him with her voice. "Becker, please, I'm here. Can you look at me, please?"

So slowly, she almost thought she imagined it, his head rose until he was looking straight at her. Her heart broke at the sight of the pain and loss in his eyes and she lifted one had to his cheek softly.

"Jess." His voice was so hoarse as to almost be unrecognizable, and Jess blinked back tears at the sound.

"Yes, yes, I'm here, love." She stood slowly, reaching with her free hand to take one of his carefully. "I'm going to get you cleaned up, now. Alright?"

He barely nodded, and she took that as permission to continue. Gingerly, and fearing she might vomit or sob any moment, she began the tedious process of pulling off the tac vest and jacket, and then crouching down again to untie and slip off his heavy boots. Not once did Becker move to help her. His passiveness scared her more than a little, and she hurried through getting him out of his shirt and then pulling him up until he stood so she could remove his belt and pants, wanting to get him cleaned off and hopefully back to being the man she loved as soon as possible.

She hesitated to remove his boxers, feeling suddenly shy and almost uncomfortable with undressing him, no matter how many times she'd 'helped' him get naked before. That was just… different. God knew, he was in no state to give her permission, and she couldn't help the sudden surge of shame. No matter, she reminded herself firmly, he needed her and that was simply that.

She began to lead him to the showers, glancing behind her only once with the faint worry and hope that no one would end up coming across the decidedly unprofessional sight of his clothes strewn about and the pair of them in the showers. Then the image of the pair of soldiers in the hall came back to mind, and she smiled softly as realization struck. His men would keep watch, keep guard until their commander was whole and himself again. She suddenly didn't doubt that Becker's gear and even the 4x4 would be in near-pristine condition before she even could get him back out of the shower. The soldiers would do their utmost hide that evidence of any weakness in one of their own, and she would help them to do so. She felt a moment's pride that she'd so clearly been taken into that conspiracy. She was one of them, for this moment at least.

Slightly comforted by the thought of Michaels' and the other soldiers' apparent faith in her, she squared her shoulders and led the un-protesting Becker by the hand to one of the shower stalls. She reached in and turned the water on, waiting until it was hot and then adjusting it to the not quite scalding temperature that Becker tended to prefer. Then she gently pulled him over and guided him gradually in under the spray.

"Try to start rinsing off. I'm going to grab soap and shampoo, but I'll be right back, OK?" He turned and leaned into the downpour without a word, and she took that for assent.

She darted quickly back into the locker room and pulled her toiletries from her locker and grabbed a few towels and a washcloth from the linen closest that was surprisingly properly stocked for once. She almost laughed, realizing Becker must have finally had it out with the cleaning crew after the last rather disgusting mission where the entirety of the ARC's military contingent had all piled into the showers only to find nary a single towel available. The resulting flood of puddles had resulted in more that one bruise and sprained ankle, and her love had been incensed at the whole situation.

Whatever the reason, she was thankful for the convenience now. She carried her bundle back over to the stall, and then deposited the towels on the bench just inside the stall door. She reached behind her to lock it, and then removed her outer clothes, leaving herself in bra and panties. That done, she steadied herself once again, and slipped behind the shower curtain, toiletries and washcloth in hand.

Becker was where she'd left him, hands braced against the tiles and head bowed, just letting the hot water wash over him. He didn't react to her presence per se, but neither did he give any indication that he _didn't _want her there. Considering the possible violent alternatives had he actually been in the grip of a flashback, Jess took that for a hopeful sign.

"Here, I've got some shampoo. Let me get your hair." He turned slowly, and Jess was pleased to see most of the blood had washed away down the drain. There was still a little in his hair though; she'd take care of that. She got a dollop of shampoo and Becker leaned down so she could reach up and massage the suds into his hair. She took a while at it, trying to comfort him with the task as best she could, and after a minute or so she was rewarded by a soft sigh and him leaning forward to rest his hands on her waist. She continued with the task for another few minutes and then gently pushing him back toward the spray. "That should be good. Let's go ahead and rinse it out."

Becker moved leaned backwards under the water, and Jess stood up on her toes to run her fingers through his hair, watching to see when the water ran clear of soap or any remaining tint of blood. Once she was sure that was done, she tugged him back out of the spray and turned to grab the washcloth and soap. She worked up a lather and turned back to see he'd stripped off his boxers while she wasn't looking. It gave her pause for a moment, but she just shrugged to herself. It would certainly make it easier to be sure he was clean. She moved closer and began to softly wash him, starting with his chest and arms, then squeezing behind him to do his back down to his ass and down the backs of his legs and feet. She moved back around him again to do the front of his legs then up to softly run the washcloth over his groin.

She swallowed a little as she did so, and risked a look up at him. His eyes were focused on her, and she felt her pulse begin to throb at the look in his eyes. She stroked the cloth against him again, and his cock twitched beneath her fingers. Becker reached down and took the cloth from her and set it deliberately on the soap dish. He half turned, allowing the spray to wash away the suds, but kept his eyes on her. The empty lost look had faded, shifting to the heat she'd so recently grown accustomed to, his pupils wide as they drifted along the length of her, still clad in her underthings, but soaked enough that they were nigh transparent.

"Jessica." His voice was soft enough that she only barely heard him over the sound of the shower. He was still hoarse, but now it was with desire instead of horror, and she felt herself begin to tremble at the sound of it. "My Jess."

As he said her name again, he stepped forward, backing her up against the wall, and he reached up to set his hands on her hips again. He leaned in and kissed her slowly, as if mapping her mouth with his own. Once she was nearly breathless, he pulled back and ran his hands up her sides and around to unclasp her bra, dropping it to the side and pulling his hands back around to cup her breasts softly, the delicate touch nearly making her knees go weak.

"Jessica," he said again reverently, as if her name were a prayer that warded against the horrors of the day. Becker dropped his head to kiss each nipple, once, twice, slowly kneeling at her feet. He allowed his hands to drift to her panties, and he slid them down carefully, his fingertips trailing down her long legs as he did so. He brought them back to rest of her hips and then still kneeling, he nudged her legs apart and softly brought his lips to her center.

He took his time with the task, keeping his mouth and tongue as delicate as his hands on her breasts had been. The gentle onslaught drove her up slowly, so painfully slowly, she felt she might go mad long before he'd finished. He released her hip with one hand and slid a finger in her, matching the tempo of his mouth and driving her higher. A second finger joined the first, and that, finally was enough to send her tumbling over the edge, eyes clenched tight and his name falling from her lips as she came.

Becker stood, still holding her steady as she quaked, and he kissed her again, almost lazily if not for the hard length of him pressing against her. Her eyes drifted open, and he seemed to take that as his cue, lifting one of her legs up over his hip and sliding in her as deep as he could, breathing what was almost a sob of her name into her mouth as he did.

Then they were moving together, his strokes starting out as slow as his other touches but soon coming more quickly, as both of them clung together, need pushing past his control. Soon he was thrusting into her frantically, one hand on the back of her head keeping it from slamming into the wall, the other braced against the tiles for leverage. Jess felt herself winding up once more, and she dug her nails into his shoulders and keened as she came again, this time harder, her eyes going blind despite her wish to watch him as he spiraled after her, hips stuttering against her as he came.

They stood intertwined as the water finally went from hot to barely warm, then he carefully dropped her leg to the floor and slid out of her with a groan. Silently, as if both were almost afraid to speak and break the spell he'd woven over both of them, they took turns with the washcloth and the spray again, washing each other carefully. Once they'd finished, Becker reached up and turned off the water, and Jess tugged the shower curtain open and grabbed the towels off the bench. They dried each other with the same care, and then Becker wrapped a towel around his waist and looked back out at the bench, his forehead furrowing in confusion.

"Clothes?"

"Michaels said he'd leave some out in the locker room." Becker nodded and slipped out the door, leaving Jess gathering up her discarded clothing and toiletries, and wrapping them all in a damp towel. Becker reappeared, jeans on and the rest of his clothes and a bundle of what looked to be some of Abby's work out gear and a pair of capris in hand. They dressed in silence, Jess just a bit dismayed as she realized neither Abby nor Michaels had apparently considered that she might need underthings as well.

Thus dressed, the pair made their way back into the locker room. Jess was glad to see the pile of his bloody gear had vanished without a trace as she'd suspected it would. Not that she thought Becker would slip back into his earlier state, but it was probably for the best to remove the earlier mess from his sight. They both sat to pull on shoes, and after a glance at Jess in her borrowed, slightly ill fitting garb and high heels, Becker just shook his head and offered her his leather jacket which she zipped up over the haphazard ensemble with a wry smile. God knew, they'd taken long enough in the shower that no one would likely argue with the pair of them leaving for home now.

"Will you stay with me tonight?" Becker asked, his voice almost shy. Jess pulled her still damp and hopeless tangled hair into a knot at the base of her neck, and then nodded.

"Of course, Hil. As long as you need me to." They stood, and Becker reached for her with a laugh that was almost a sob. He wrapped his arms around her, and she looked up to see a smile finally on his face before he hid it in her shoulder.

"You ought to be careful, Jessica. That could turn out to be a long, long time." She smiled and dropped a kiss where his neck met his shoulder.

"You say that like I'd argue." He straightened reluctantly, and they grabbed their things and headed for the door, Jess tapping in her code to release the override when she reached it. Becker opened the door to find Michaels standing directly in front of it, in the easy stance that a soldier took on guard. His 2IC turned and surveyed them both, before offer a soft smile and a respectful nod to Jess. Then he turned and called to the soldiers still blocking either end of the hallway, and the trio moved past Jess and Becker into the locker room, bustling about and preparing for home as if nothing untoward had happened. The pair in the doorway watched them for a second, and then turned and left the room, heading for home together.

**A/N: Hope you enjoyed that one! BTW, I've noticed that all of these (except possibly for Wench) seem to be slowly forming the same overall story arc. Especially as Michaels seems to be burrowing his way into just about all of them. Would yall like a sort of Masterficlist with a proper "chronological" order as I go, or is it fine just piecing these all together? Let me know!**


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